Extraordinary
by daintydreams
Summary: There was an ancient tradition at Hogwarts, long forgotten. How different would their world be if Harry, Draco, Hermione, Ron, and Neville were all Apprentices of Hogwarts?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Harry Potter. All rights reserved, inc. copyright goes to J.K. Rowling. No copyright infringement intended, no money is being made. I do not own the cover picture, I got it off of Google Images (all rights reserved)

**Warnings**: language

**Notes**: I've been having this idea in my head for half a year. I'll try to update every week or two weeks since it's summer time, but I'm moving and have my sweet sixteen coming up soon so I may not update all the time. Plus, when school starts I won't be able to update as much as I like, since I'm going to be doing some college classes. However, this isn't Beta'd so sorry for any mistakes and errors. I don't own the cover picture, or any pictures that I may use. Please review, favorite, and follow!

Chapter One

"Granger, Hermione."

With extra enthusiasm, the eleven-year-old bushy haired brunette rushed towards the stood, eagerly awaiting the sorting. She wasn't disappointed when Professor McGonagall placed the raggedy singing hat atop her head the second she sat on the stool. There was soon a gentle rusting throughout her mind, and a raspy voice spoke not a moment later.

_"…__very peculiar, yes…extraordinaire…loyalty that Helga Hufflepuff herself would envy…ambition Salazar would snatch up in a second…bravery Godric would love to have at battle…oh, what's this? Knowledge and a knack for learning? Now, where to put you…where to put you…?"_

There was more shifting through her mind and memories, before the Sorting Hat finally said, "_Yes, I know exactly what to do with you…"_

The Hat then yelled out, "RAVENCLAW ‒ HUFFLEPUFF ‒ GRYFFINDOR ‒ SLYTHERIN." There was an astonished silence before a "APPRENTICE OF HOGWARTS!"

The stern professor was too shocked to even take off the hat. Hermione did so only to be stared at by everyone in the hall. She was reminded of her primary schoolmates teasing and bullying, people staring at her in the halls and commenting on her supposed weirdness, and she gulped before looking back at the other professors, brown eyes pleading to do something, anything.

One kind, short Professor who had a lily flower in her gray streaked hair shot up into action.

"You can sit with my House, dearie." The witch said kindly, gently guiding the first year to the black and yellow table of the Badgers amidst the gaping stares and mouths.

"I'm Hannah Abbott," The blonde girl next to her with the slightly pink cheeks and pigtails grinned at her.

The girl sitting across from Hannah, with red hair, greeted, "I am Susan Bones."

People soon stared to pay attention to the sorting once McGonagall cleared her throat, glaring at the starers, although majority still stared, still gaped. She continued down the line to a ‒

"Longbottom, Neville." She called.

Nervously, sad boy stumbled to the stool, and his vision was blocked by the hem of the talking Hat.

_"…__interesting…very interesting…much like Miss Granger…with loyalty…bravery…cunning with a dash of ambition to not be your father or a squib…knowledge...hmm…where to put you…what's this? Very interesting, dear boy ‒ I know exactly what to do with you, just like Miss Granger…"_

The Hat opened the brim mouth of his and yelled, "HUFFLEPUFF ‒ GRYFFINDOR ‒ SLYTHERIN ‒ RAVENCLAW ‒ APPRENTICE OF HOGWARTS!"

Neville was too shocked to even think, his mind was blank. The Hat was taken off his head, and the Professor who had helped Hermione helped him. He sat, flabbergasted, next to his fellow Apprentice.

"Hello, Neville." Hermione smiled brightly at him. "I'm glad I'm not alone in this."

Neville nodded, his mind still processing the information of the Hat. What did It mean, exactly, by saying that he had a thirst to prove that he wasn't his father, or a squib, to his family, that he was just Neville?

Then, there was a "Malfoy, Draco." The boy everyone thought to be a Slytherin from birth, bred to be one with a silver spoon in his mouth. He sauntered his way to the stool, but only four realized that it was fake confidence and swagger. They could see the hidden panic in his silvery gray eyes.

One wondered if Malfoy was as bad as mother said he would be…

_"__Hello, Draco…you have a fine mind, one that surpasses Ravenclaw…loyalty for family and friends, though you could be a bit more welcoming and less obnoxious…you have the ambition and cunning for Slytherin…and…well, look at this…you stood up to your father, and you don't want to be his carbon copy…yes, I know what sets ou apart from the others…"_

There was the usual silence, and then, "SLYTHERIN ‒ RAVENCLAW ‒ HUFFLEPUFF ‒ GRYFFINDOR ‒ APPRENTICE OF HOGWARTS!"

Even though nearly everyone in his family, Mothers' side as well, were Slytherin, he knew that he was singled out…and the snake pit would eat him alive.

He made his choice, then and there, on that oak stool, changing his fate and destiny unknowingly, before moving to sit with the other Apprentices. He gave a hesitant smile to the Pureblood and Muggleborn Apprentice. He didn't really like the M-word for Muggleborns, anyway. His father made him say it. They returned it.

The Sorting continued. "Moon, Lily" was a new Ravenclaw, "Nott, Theodore" went to Slytherin, sending Draco an unfathomable glace before making his way to the green and silver table. Then, "Parkinson, Pansy" went to the table of green and silver, "Patil, Padma" went to Ravenclaw, and "Patil, Parvati" went to the boisterous, rowdy table of red and gold. "Perks, Sally-Anne" was a new Hufflepuff.

And then, finally…

"Potter, Harry."

The too-tiny-to-be-eleven-year-old boy nervously made his way towards the stool after a comforting nudge from Ron that propelled him forward, and as he did so, he heard their whispers.

"_The _Harry Potter…"

"…wonder if he'll be an apprentice…"

"…my mother said he was extremely powerful, defeating a Dark Lord at only one, of _course_ he'd be an apprentice…"

And then the whispers stopped, and the last thing Harry saw, was everyone craning their necks, trying to get a better view of him.

_"__Well…well…well…you'd do very well in Slytherin, it's all in your head, you know…Gryffindor, too…and what's this? Loyalty to the boot, and knowledge untapped…hmm…decisions, decisions…yes, you'll do very well with where I'll put you…"_

The Hat screamed out into the silent hall, "GRYFFINDOR ‒ SLYTHERIN ‒ RAVENCLAW ‒ HUFFLEPUFF ‒ APPRENTICE OF HOGWARTS!"

Harry placed the Hat back on the stool before quickly making his way to the House of yellow and black with his other fellow apprentices. He sat across from Neville, next to "Perks, Sally-Anne". He gave them all a smile and they returned it with enthusiasm. Harry zoned out the rest of the sorting until a "Weasley, Ron" was called.

Harry watched with rapt attention as his first and only friend, for now at least, sat stiffly on the stool, posture ram-rod straight, his red hair and freckles stood out as his face grew paler with each second.

"Definitely a Gryffindor, his entire family is one. From what I've heard, at least," The delicate looking girl next to him, Sally-Anne Perks, said quietly to him.

Ron was growing anxious until a voice, seemingly from the inside of his mind, said, _"Hmm…I see ambition to surpass your brothers and their achievements…undeniable loyalty to those you love and consider close, although you do get dreadfully jealous sometimes…you're quite the strategist and you have a mind Ravenclaw would definitely nourish with the right nudges…oh? What's this I see? A thirst to…yes, you'll do perfectly…"_

The Hat then shouted, "HUFFLEPUFF ‒ RAVENCLAW ‒ SLYTHERIN ‒ GRYFFINDOR ‒ APPRENTICE OF HOGWARTS!"

Ron was shocked at what the Hat said. Before, he'd thought he'd never be anything, do anything, simply because his brothers had already done it all, and it'd be a moot point in the long run.

He sat next to Harry at the Hufflepuff table, relieved that his back was turned to the Gryffindors. He was unable to look at his siblings and perhaps see the disappointment, the shame, because he wasn't in their family House.

Ron's stomach churned with unease ‒ he didn't even want to think about what his parents would say!

With "Zabini, Blaise" settling down at the Slytherin table, the Sorting Hat and stool was removed by McGonagall, and Headmaster Dumbledore stood up, arms spread, looking as if he'd never be anywhere but here. Once the old man finished his speech with the words "Oddment! Blubber! Tweak!" a feast appeared out of nowhere.

As soon as everyone go their food on their plates, and some in their mouths, they began to speak.

"Do any of you know what an apprentice is?" Hermione asked.

Draco responded, "Well, there hasn't been an apprentice in Hogwarts since Merlin and Nicolas Flamel ‒ Dumbledore wasn't even an Apprentice during his time here! ‒ and those two were both extremely powerful and intelligent."

"Scary brilliant," Ron added once he swallowed half his chicken leg.

Harry only picked the foods he'd been allowed to eat at the Dursleys'. Even though everything looked absolutely scrumptious…he wasn't sure he could stomach it at the moment. For now, he stuck to the nutritious foods and would work on the others later in the school year.

He looked to see Hermione doing the same. She smiled at his unasked inquire. "Mum and Dad are dentists. So, I'm not really allowed sweets or anything unhealthy."

Harry nodded. His old primary school Nurse was once a dentist, before she retired, and only gave out sugar free candy to those who wound up in her office.

"Susan Bones," A redhead greeted ‒ and that was the start of the Hufflepuff table erupting into introductions.

"Sally-Anne Perks," Sally introduced. "I'm a Half-blood, Muggle raised."

"Hannah Abbott," Hannah said.

"I'm Hermione Granger," The first Apprentice introduced herself.

"N-Neville Longbottom," The shy, chubby boy smiled slightly.

"Ron Weasley," The other redhead said, after inhaling his mashed potatoes.

"Draco," He muttered, twirling his fork at his spaghetti. He didn't feel like saying his last name, didn't want to see the looks of disgust and revulsion at the mention of his family and their Dark Ways.

"Harry, Harry Potter." The messy haired boy grinned at everyone. Then, he frowned. "Say, where do you think we'll sleep?"

The Apprentices frowned as well, but then the Headmaster stood and the food disappeared. He gave the students a Welcome Speech, something about a Mr. Filch, warnings about a Forbidden Forest, and then a corridor, and a painful death that would resume upon entry. Harry's stomach did flips.

The Hufflepuff Prefects called for their first years, as did the other tables, but before the five Apprentices could follow, a voice behind them, in a silky tone, said, "Apprentices, follow me please."

The five looked up at a tall, dark haired man who had a very large nose and sallow skin. Draco smiled up at him before the unknown man led them out fo the din, and into an unfamiliar, winding hallway.

Hermione mustered up her Gryffindor courage and asked, politely, "Excuse me sir, but, who are you?"

"I am Professor Snape, your Potions Professor here at Hogwarts." The man drawled, not once stopping his smooth and fast gait, or looking back to see if they were behind him.

Neville, and even Draco with all his fake confidence, stumbled, trying to catch up with the Professor as they walked up steps and down hallways with twists and turns. Soon, they stopped in front of a stone gargoyle.

"Blood Pops." The Professor said with a grimace, making the Apprentices stare at him oddly.

"Blood Pops?" Hermione mouthed to Harry, the other person who was muggle raised besides her. He shrugged.

The gargoyle then moved, revealing a staircase spiraling upwards. "Follow me." Professor Snape said, before walking diligently p the stone steps. The apprentices followed in silence. They were all tired from the feast and their earlier travel.

Professor Snape opened an oak door, and the five children looked around in awe at the Headmasters' office. There were swirling and smoking trinkets, a telescope pointed upwards to an open window, portraits that talked, the ultimate clutter of a genius, etc.

There were four Professors in the room, counting the Headmaster, excluding Professor Snape.

"Hello Apprentices," The Headmaster smiled at them. "We just need to see who your mentors are going to be." He turned towards the Sorting Hat, and they all waited with bated breath. "Well, Gregori? Can you tell us who their mentors are going to be?"

The Hat turned itself towards the Headmaster from its shelf with an annoyed huff. "I've already told you, Albus. Their mentors are Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, Slytherin, and Ravenclaw."

"The Founders or the Heads of Houses?" Dumbledore inquired.

"The Heads, Albus." The Hat droned, with an audible _duh_ tone.

Headmaster Dumbledore nodded, but that was when Hermione spoke. "Excuse me, Headmaster, but where will we sleep?"

"We can use the Guest Rooms near Hufflepuff tower." The kind Professor, whose name was actually Professor Sprout, suggested. "It's been built just like the dorms, with a common room, and bathroom as well."

Headmaster Dumbledore looked at the other Professors, all of whom murmured their agreements. "Excellent!" He grinned once there were no other suggestions or objections.

"I'll take them there." Professor Sprout said. "I don't speak to my 'Puffs until the morning."

"We can all take them there." Professor McGonagall said briskly. "So that we can give them our rules, expectations, and, perhaps, work out a schedule."

That was when Ron, of all people, spoke up. "What will we be doing, exactly?"

The tiny, short Charms Professor ‒ Professor Flitwick ‒ explained, "Well, each of us have a different are of expertise. I deal with Charms and Dueling."

Professor McGonagall said, "I deal with Transfiguration and History."

Professor Snape said, "I deal with Defense and Potions."

And Professor Sprout said, "I deal with Herbology and Healing."

"We'll work out the details for your ‒ abilities ‒ later on." Professor Dumbledore said. "Preferably over the weekend,"

"Um," Neville stumbled. "What House will we be apart of?"

The Professors shared a look until Headmaster Dumbledore said, with twinkling eyes, "Why, you'll be apart of all the Houses. It wouldn't be fair to separate all of you, after all."

Once their sleeping arrangements were met, the four Head of Houses and five Apprentices made their way towards the Guest Room which were seating across from the kitchens ("You have to tickle the Ron's ‒ dismay). The Guest Rooms' entrance was a beautiful wintry portrait with little children scrambling about, playing in the snow, dressed in Victorian Era clothing. A little girl, who looked about nine, bounced towards the front of the portrait, with dark brunette hair and cheeks flushed rosy red, gave them all a toothy smile.

"Hello," She beamed. "My name's Isabella. Are you visitors?"

"We're Apprentices." Draco told the girl.

She smiled brighter, if possible. "That's positively wonderful! In order to get in, you must set a password."

The Apprentices looked at one another, and then at the adults. Professor Flitwick squeaked, "The password can be Hogwarts for now. You may change it later on."

The five first years nodded, and the portrait swung open to the rooms. The first years, except Harry, all had to bend down in order to get through the circular entrance, as did the Professors. The Guest Common Room was in neutral colors of crème and a beautiful color of lilac. There was a large sofa with two armchairs and a coffee table in the middle of the rug. There were paintings hung up on the wall and portraits that moved, though few didn't. North of the Common Room were two sets of stairs, one that led to a boys' room and the other girls'. On the left of them was an oak door.

Professor Snape and McGonagall briskly made their way up the stairs to look at the rooms as Professors Sprout and Flitwick ushered the apprentices to get comfortable. Harry nestled himself in the armchair on the far right, which was a lovely crème color and black polka dots. The afghan was lilac. Draco settled himself on the couch, as did Neville. Ron sat on the floor behind the coffee table with his back leaning against the couch, and Hermione claimed the other armchair that was black with crème colored polka dots and a lilac colored afghan.

"Alright," Professor Sprout beamed. "Since this was so spontaneous we haven't really had the chance to work out all the kinks and such."

"Since today is Friday, we have the entire weekend to work out a schedule." Professor McGonagall said as she and Professor Snape made their way towards them.

"There are many rooms," Professor Snape told them, "On both sides. I suppose you could each have your own room."

Professor McGonagall looked at him frostily, but the other two Heads agreed quite chirpily. "It is getting very late," She said, looking down at the first years who were fighting to keep their eyes open and mouths closed so no yawns can escape. "We will speak more of this in the morning?"

The other Professors agreed, and ushered the exhausted first years to their respective rooms. Hermione chose the first door that she found, and saw that her trunk and school things were already placed in there. Her eyes wide, she observed her new living space for the next seven years. The bed was a large four poster bed, with curtains hanging down from it in a princess manner. There was a side dresser, a vanity dresser, and a door that probably led to the lavatory. She didn't feel up to exploring it more as she trudged to the bed, and fell asleep instantly once she plopped down.

Harry, like Hermione, claimed the first room, Draco the second, Ron the third, and Neville the last. Their room was set up the same as Hermione's, and just like her, they all instantly fell asleep once their heads hit the pillows.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Harry Potter. All rights reserved, inc. copyright goes to J.K. Rowling. No copyright infringement intended, no money is being made. (I do not own the cover picture, I got it off Google Images)

**Warnings**: language, slight violence, AU, OOC, highly non-canon (I think)

**Notes**: This isn't Beta'd so sorry for any mistakes and errors. I don't own the cover picture, or any pictures that I may use. Please review, favorite, and follow! Thanks for all the reviews, favorites, and follows last chapter! Sorry if I get any names or spells wrong. I haven't read the HP series in a while!

* * *

Chapter Two

* * *

Harry awoke at dawn, like always. He blinked at the sleepy fog that hung temptingly over his eyes. He yawned and stretched and realized that he was wearing his school uniform from yesterday. The robe had the Hogwarts Crest on it, and his tie had a mix of all the school colors. He opened his trunk and grabbed some weekend clothes, particularly his best jeans and shirt. Of course, they were Dudley's once upon a time, so the choosing wasn't very varied.

Sunlight poked through his window, and Harry shuffled towards the door that lead to his lavatory. His bathroom was very spacious, and to someone who spent ten years in a cupboard, it felt and looked like a bathroom someone prosperous would have. He had one porcelain tub, and a shower. On the wall to the left was a counter that jutted out, with three sinks. The tiled floor was polished and Harry could see his reflection. One of the racks had towels awaiting his use.

They were black, and fluffy, and Harry felt like he could use them as a blanket. He turned the shower until it was warm, almost hot, striped, and jumped in. He instantly felt relaxed, and took advantage of the fact that he didn't have to take three minute showers with the Dursleys constantly banging on the door for him to hurry up and quit wasting their water!

Thirty minutes later, he stepped out of the shower and into a slightly steamed bathroom. He dried and put on his clothes, ready to face another day. He grabbed his Transfiguration, Potions, and Herbology books since prior to leaving the Dursleys he had read his Defense and Charms book.

He had also owl-ordered some more texts that would indefinitely help him. Back in Primary School, if he'd done even slightly better than their ickle Duddikins, he'd be punished harshly. Harry had to hide his intelligence, since it was an exhausting effort to constantly dumb yourself down when you'd already gotten the course work down the second it was taught, but it didn't stop his daily visits to the library.

The library was Harry's only sanctuary from Dudley and his gang, since they wouldn't be caught dead in a place where people read more than required.

As an afterthought, Harry grabbed some parchment, quills, and ink bottle in order to practice writing better. He also snatched the Muggleborn guide to using quills ‒ one of the assistants of Flourish & Blotts were happy to point out all the Muggleborn guides to him when he asked.

When he walked down with his things to the Common Room, he was surprised to see Hermione settled on the armchair she sat in last night, curled with _Hogwarts: A History _in her hands, and the afghan around her shoulders. She looked up when Harry cleared his throat, seemingly as surprised as he was.

"Good morning, Harry." She smiled.

"Morning," He greeted. "I thought I was the only one who woke up this early."

Hermione nodded. "Me too." She then noticed what was in his hands. "What'd you have there?"

"Some of the course books that I hadn't finished reading," Harry explained. "And a guide to using quills. I couldn't get much practice once I got my letter, since I only had a short four weeks to get used to the idea of being a wizard."

Hermione nodded, and snapped her book closed. "I could help, if you'd like?" She was hesitant to ask, and Harry wondered why that was.

"Sure." He smiled. "I need all the help I can get! Thanks, Hermione."

"You're welcome." She said softly, and the two first years settled themselves in front of the coffee table. Harry flipped through the guide to the page he'd marked, and Hermione helped him as he followed the instructions carefully.

Neville, Draco, and Ron bustled down when it was seven thirty, and Ron rushed past saying, "Aren't we missing breakfast?"

"Wait!" Harry stopped him. "Do we even know what table to sit at?"

"Can't we sit with the Puffs again?" Hermione asked. "They were rather nice."

"Are we allowed to eat in here?" Draco inquired to himself, but out loud.

"D-Do we even know w-where the g-great h-hall is?" Neville stuttered, still nervous from the events of the sorting.

Harry gave him a comforting smile but before any of the Apprentices could do anything, their portrait swung open, and Professor McGonagall, in all her intimidating exterior, crouched inside. "Good morning, Apprentices." She greeted them.

"Good Morning, Professor." The five chorused.

"I hope you had a restful sleep?" She raised an eyebrow. They all nodded. Ron fidgeted at the prospect of food, barely holding himself in place in order to keep himself from barreling through Hogwarts halls in order to get food.

"Good." McGonagall nodded. "After breakfast, we ‒ the other mentors and I ‒ would like for you five to make your way back to your Common Room so we may have a discussion over your apprenticeship, and what it entails."

"Excuse me, Professor," Draco said, ever-so courteously. "Where shall we sit in the great hall?"

"It seems that Hogwarts had placed another table for you five." The Professor explained. "You're table is the one nestled between Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. However, you may sit at other tables once you have made friends in the other Houses, if you desire." The five nodded their heads. "I am here to escort you to the Great Hall since you don't have any prefects."

Harry gathered his things and rushed to his room to put them away. When he came back down, the others were still in the common room, waiting for him patiently. The apprentices trailed after McGonagall through the halls, memorizing the way, like lost puppies. Once they reached the large double doors of the Great Hall, McGonagall opened them, walked inside, and they trickled in after her.

There was barely anyone in the Hall for breakfast, and those that were there were used to early days. Harry was relieved that the Hall wasn't full; he couldn't handle so many stares. The five made their way to their designated table, and their silence was filled with the clinking of forks against plates, and the rustle to get food. Ron's plate seemed to be a miniature mountain on its own and he hardly seemed content with it. Harry wondered that if he ate too much, if he'd explode because of an overdose of food.

_I could see the headlines now, _He thought to himself. _Hogwarts First-Year Apprentice, Ron Weasley, OD'd on Food!_

He snickered into his omelet, and Neville looked at him weirdly. "What a-are you l-laughing about?" He asked, scooping some hash-browns as he did so.

"Oh, nothing," Harry shrugged it off. "I was just thinking of something funny."

"I wonder how this is going to work out." Hermione worried. "I still don't know what all this means!"

"An Apprentice-Mentorship bond is very intimate, I suppose you could say," Draco explained. "It's all…"

"Family orientated," Ron helped. Draco nodded.

"Yes, you could put it that way. We learn what our Mentors specialize in," Draco continued. "I don't really know anything else because there are barely any Apprentices around so there isn't much information."

The others nodded, and thanked Draco and Ron for the information, though little was helpful. Other students began to trickle in the Hall, and they all paused, gaped, and stared at the Apprentice table. It made Harry shrink in his seat, and Neville fidget uncomfortably. Hermione was immune to stares, Draco reveled in the attention, and Ron was too busy eating to pay any mind to anyone else that wasn't apart of a food group.

"What should our password be?" Harry asked the others. "I mean, it can't stay _Hogwarts_ all the time."

"You have a point." Ron said, though it was slightly muffled and disoriented because of the food in his mouth.

"Don't speak with your mouth full!" Both Hermione and Draco scolded him, looking affronted and offended that someone would so blatantly disregard all sorts of manners on the dinner table. Ron rolled his eyes, and Harry and Neville snickered.

"We could think of things that we all like." Neville suggested softly.

"How about food?" Ron suggested when he swallowed.

Harry said, "How does having it be Music sound?"

"Does there have to be a specific type?" Hermione asked, and then her eyes lit up with an idea. "Ooh, I know! Each month, or week, we could have a password be something that we like, and we post it in the Common Room each time it changes. We can also take turns."

The others agreed to the idea. "Who goes first?" Neville asked, gaining a bit of confidence. They all stared at each other.

"How about it be Harry?" Ron offered. "I mean, he's the one who brought it up in the first place."

The others looked over at Harry, who nodded, and said, "Alright. I'll think of something and change it later if that's okay?"

"It's perfect!" Hermione grinned at him.

The Hall was nearly full now, and most were craning their necks to get a better view of the five Apprentices. Then, the morning Owls soared inside. A dark owl made its way towards Draco, and he greeted, "Sal!" Hedwig landed on Harry's shoulder, gently nipping his ear in greeting, Harry gave her a piece of his leftover bacon in return. An old owl crash landed in front of Ron (He gave it a half-hearted, "'Lo Errol…"), a small gray, adorable owl perched herself next to Hermione ("Hi, Athena!), and a fierce, intimidating looking owl made its way to Neville. All owls, except Hedwig and Athena, had a letter. Draco, Ron, and Neville looked anxious as they slowly unrolled the parchment.

Neville skimmed his and breathed a sigh of relief, "Gran's glad that I'm an Apprentice." He said jubilantly. "She says she's proud of me!" He had a dazed look on his face, and both Harry and Hermione got the feeling that he didn't get told that often.

Draco blinked. "Well, my father is coming around to the idea, slowly, but my mother is proud of me."

Ron, too, sighed in relief. "Well, Percy ‒ my brother, he's a fifth year prefect ‒ told them about my apprenticeship. They're a bit sad that they didn't hear it from me personally, but they're…actually happy for me."

"Of course they'd be!" Hermione smiled at them all. "After all, aren't we powerful?"

She looked haughty, and it was outlandish to see it on her face. The five of them laughed, before making their way out of the Hall, stares and whispers following them as they left.

They were all quiet, stomachs full and sated, before they made their way to their room. They met Isabella, who beamed at them. Neville said the password, and they all shuffled inside. Harry plopped down on his armchair that he sat on yesterday, Hermione on hers, and the others made their way to the couch, though instead of Ron being on the floor, it was Neville.

"What do we do now?" Neville asked.

A snore tore through the room, and heads swiveled around to stare incredulously at Ron's sleeping form. A ripple of giggles came forth, as they couldn't believe that someone had fallen asleep so quickly.

"Weasley, get _off_ of me!" Draco snapped once Ron moved over and had fallen on top of him. It caused more laughter to erupt from the others.

The laughter stopped short when the portrait swung open, and the four Heads of Houses poured inside. Draco awoke Ron by pushing him off the couch, and, accidentally, onto Neville.

"Ow!" Neville yelped.

"Sorry," Draco winced.

"Whazzhappen?" Ron snorted blearily.

"Mr. Weasley, please do get off of Mr. Longbottom." Professor Snape told him sternly.

Ron scrambled off of Neville, giving him an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Neville,"

"It's alright." He said.

Professor Flitwick distributed five slips of paper to the Apprentices, all of which said the same thing.

**Schedule **

Monday/Wednesday

_7 A.M. ‒ 8:30 A.M. Breakfast _

_9 A.M ‒ 10 A.M. Transfiguration (Gryffindors/Hufflepuffs)_

_10:07 A.M ‒ 11:10 A.M. History of Magic (Ravenclaws/Slytherins)_

_11:10 A.M. ‒ 12 P.M. Lunch_

_12:06 P.M. ‒ 1:05 P.M. Defense (Gryffindors)_

_1:05 P.M. ‒ 3 P.M. Apprenticeship Work: Mentor Sprout_

_3:06 P.M. ‒ 5 P.M. Flying Lessons (Only every 3__rd__week each month) or Double Charms (Ravenclaws)_

_6 P.M. ‒ 7:30 P.M. Dinner_

_9 P.M. Curfew _

Tuesday/Thursday

_7 A.M. ‒ 8:30 A.M. Breakfast_

_9 A.M. ‒ 10:50 A.M. Apprenticeship Work: Mentor Flitwick _

_11 A.M. ‒ 12 P.M. Herbology (Hufflepuffs)_

_12 P.M. ‒ 12:45 P.M. Lunch_

_12:50 P.M. ‒ 2 P.M. Double History of Magic (Slytherins)_

_2:06 P.M. ‒ 3:30 P.M. Charms (Gryffindors)_

_4 P.M. ‒ 5:50 P.M. Apprenticeship Work: Mentor McGonagall _

_6 P.M. ‒ 7:30 P.M. Dinner_

_9 P.M. Curfew_

Friday

_7 A.M. ‒ 8:30 A.M. Breakfast_

_9 A.M. ‒ 10:50 A.M. Double Potions (Ravenclaws)_

_11:06 A.M. ‒ 12:30 P.M. Double Transfiguration (Slytherin/Gryffindor)_

_12:30 P.M. ‒ 1 P.M. Lunch_

_1 P.M. ‒ 3:10 P.M. Apprenticeship Work: Mentor Snape_

_3:20 P.M. ‒ 4:50 P.M. Double Herbology (Ravenclaw/ Slytherin)_

_6 P.M. ‒ 7:30 P.M. Dinner_

_9 P.M. Curfew_

Saturday/Sunday

_7 A.M. ‒ 9 A.M. Breakfast_

_9:30 A.M. ‒ 12:15 P.M. Apprenticeship Work _

_12:30 P.M. ‒ 1 P.M. Lunch_

_6 P.M. ‒ 7:30 P.M. Dinner_

_9:30 P.M. Curfew_

"We've tried our best to create a working schedule that is best for, not only you five, but us as well." Professor McGonagall explained, in her no-nonsense tone. "I hope you have no objections?"

The five Apprentices looked over their schedule with mixed emotions, but there were no voices of protest. "Right then," Professor Sprout nodded. "Here's a list of all the rules and guidelines we've made for you to follow."

"It also includes the punishments." Professor Snape added, though to Neville it sounded like a purr.

_Punishments? _Harry felt his face pale dramatically, though he did his best to seem indifferent. He just hoped that their punishments were nothing like the Dursleys. The five read the list carefully.

**Apprentice Guidelines & Consequences**

_When doing Apprenticeship Work, you __must__ obey and listen carefully to the Mentor _

**Consequence of Disobeying**_: An assigned essay on the dangers of not listening, grounding or a probation for a allotted period of time._

_No lying_

**Consequence of Disobeying: **_Detention, extra homework, grounding or mouth washing._

N_o putting yourself, or others, in danger_

**Consequence of Disobeying: **_An assigned essay of the danger, probation, grounding or detention_

B_e respectful_

**Consequence of Disobeying: **_Detention, mouth washing, grounding or probation_

"We only really need four rules." Professor Sprout said cheerfully. "We already know that we won't have much trouble with you lot." She peered down at them, her expression turning quite dark. "Am I correct?"

The Apprentices were too scared to think otherwise and bobbed their heads in agreement. In an instant, the jubilant Herbology Professor's face cleared, and a smile was upon her lips. She clapped her hands happily.

She took the list of rules and walked towards one of the many pin boards on the walls. She tapped her wand against it, and the words ANNOUNCEMENTS were scribbled at the top. She set the list on the board with a sticking charm.

"Are we starting this today?" Hermione asked the Mentors. "Since it's Saturday…"

"We've decided to have you settle in here at Hogwarts." Professor Flitwick told them. "On Saturdays and Sundays, the Apprenticeship work allotted can be used for more instructions but it can also be meetings, and generally a time for us to get to know each other better. From what I know, a mentor-apprentice bond is very intimate and family-oriented."

He was, unknowingly, echoed Draco's words from breakfast. Said boy looked a little smug that he was right with his knowledge. Ron rolled his eyes and thought that if Draco were a bird, he would be preening with arrogance at that moment.

"We will start this schedule once classes begin." Professor Snape explained.

The five nodded, and Professor McGonagall said, "For each work hour we have with you, we will be teaching you our areas of expertise, and this will include extra assignments and projects. We expect nothing but the best from you five."

It was a little jarring to be told all of this. Just yesterday, it seemed, Hermione and Harry thought they were Muggles and nothing special at all, Ron figured he'd amount to absolutely nothing, Neville thought he was nothing more than a squib, a shame to his family name, and Draco was dismayed at the thought of being Slytherin's Prince and the carbon copy of his father.

"Do you have any questions?" Professor Flitwick asked them.

They shook their head. "Alright then," Professor Sprout said. "We'll see you lot at lunch and dinner."

She bounced out of the room, and the other Professors said their goodbyes and left.

"This seems…" Ron breathed out. "A bit surreal," The other four nodded their heads in agreement.

"I got it!" Harry burst suddenly. The others stared at him, slightly startled by the outburst. "The new password ‒ I think it should be pandas!"

They stared at Harry.

"Pandas?" Hermione asked him. The others looked at him as if he were two straws short of a broomstick.

"What?" Harry said, defensive. "I think it's a wonderful password _‒ _and I _like_ pandas!"

"…alright…" Neville finally said. "I think it's great, too. But, how do we set up a new password?"

"I can help you with that."

They whirled around, as one, to see Isabella beaming at them in the portrait right above the fireplace. "Hello, Isabella!" Harry grinned.

"Call me Bella, please." She requested. "Anyway, in order to change the password, simply say the old password _‒ Hogwarts ‒_ and say the words 'new password' and then state the new password."

"Can we tell it to you now or do we have to leave the Common Room?" Ron asked.

"You can tell me now." Bella said.

"Then, _Hogwarts_ new password: _pandas_." Harry informed her. She nodded.

"Okay!" She said, cutely. "I'll see you later _‒ _oh, you might want to inform your Mentors of the new password change."

"Oh no, we didn't think of that!" Hermione fretted.

"Well, let's just go and look for them." Draco stood. "Might as well get a feel of the place now instead of later."

"Sounds good to me." Harry grinned. "Are we going in groups, by ourselves, or…?"

"Let's just go as one." Neville suggested. "We can get to know each other."

No one protested and they all lumbered out of their Common Room, and started to roam the halls for their Mentors. They talked with one another as they explored and half-heartedly searched. Harry and Hermione had playful debates over Muggle Literature, Ron and Draco had arguments over the best Quidditch teams and players, and Neville engaged with Harry on gardening once the semi heated debate was over with.

And then they ventured into the Dungeons, and Harry bumped into a large, surly looking fifth-year Slytherin. Draco gulped silently, trying to make himself invisible behind Ron, which was near impossible since they were around the same height.

"Well, well, well," The fifth-year softly said. "If it isn't five ickle firsties _‒ _The Boy-Who-Lived, a blood traitor, a squib, a mudblood, and…" His eyes settled on Draco's form. "…Draco Malfoy."

Harry and Hermione looked at one another, puzzled. _Mudblood…blood traitor…squib…?_ They seemed to ask one another with their eyes. Neville stared wide-eyed at the older student, too fearful of what was going to happen to even think.

"What do _you_ want?" Ron said hotly. He didn't like the fact that he was called a blood traitor _‒_ though to some of the Purebloods, that's what he _was_ _‒_ or the fact that they called Hermione _‒_ sweet, innocent, if albeit overzealous over books and rules _‒_ that horrible, degrading, despicable name. He also didn't like the fifth-year they called Neville a squib _‒_ when it was damn clear he was powerful! _‒_ or how he said Harry's hyphenated nickname like it was something dirty.

"Just wondering why you lot are wandering the dungeons." The older student said, almost lazily.

The Apprentices watched as he took out his wand. Harry really wanted to go back to their Common Room. "W-We're looking for Professor Snape." He mumbled. He was the tiniest in the school _‒_ and the youngest _‒_ and the fifth year (to him at least) looked as if he were Hagrid's height _‒_ and don't even get him started on how _miniscule _Hagrid made him feel.

The fifth-year just smiled nastily at them, fiddling his wand, and the silent air was tense with anticipation of what would happen.

"You know, Draco," He purred. "Many a people in Slytherin are very angry at you for abandoning your True House."

"He didn't abandon it!" Hermione yelled in the heat of the moment. "He's an _apprentice _of it!"

"Yes, but he is also an Apprentice of _Gryffindor_ and _Hufflepuff_." He said with a sneer. "And I don't remember asking you for your opinion, you _mudblood slut_."

Hermione and Harry gasped. They weren't familiar with the _mudblood_ term but they did understand what _slut_ meant. Harry's mother was called it on a nearly daily basis, along with _good-for-nothing whore._ Hermione felt tears yield in her eyes, reminding of her past with bullies and name calling.

"Hey!" Harry said. He was oddly calm, and he knew better than to lose his cool. "I may not know who you are or what you're saying but I do not like people insulting my friends!" Anger bubbled in him. "So, why don't you just leave us alone? We haven't done anything to you!"

The Fifth-Year smirked, raised his wand, and chanted, "_Furunculous!"_

The spell was aimed at Harry, and in order to defend himself and his friends, he yelled, "_Protego Maxima!" _and a stretched, sturdy, translucent blue-white shield blanketed the First Years, and the spell bounced off of it, and bounded towards the one who'd cast it. His eyes widened in shock, and he didn't move out of the way in time. The spell hit said target, and there was a strangled scream as angry looking boils sprouted from his previously unblemished skin.

"I'll get you for this, Potter!" He yelled as he stumbled away, probably to the Hospital Wing.

"…incredible…" Someone behind them muttered.

The _Protego _spell vanished, and they all whirled around to see who said it, but there was no one there.

"Weird…" Harry muttered. He then noticed everyone else staring at him, wide-eyed and awed. "What? Why are you all looking at me like that?"

"You _‒ _You just _‒_ You just _‒_" Neville and Ron both stuttered, incapable of structuring a complete sentence.

"I just what?" Harry asked.

"You just did a Fourth-Year spell!" Draco shouted. He looked frazzled, with his hair slightly disheveled, and his face paler than normal. "And you're only a First-Year!"

"Uh…" Harry trailed. "I…did some light reading?" He ended sheepishly.

"_Light_ reading?" Neville choked out, still in awe.

Ron blinked and muttered, "Bloody hell…_bloody_ hell…"

Hermione grinned at him. "I think we'll be getting along quite fine."

Harry childishly stuck out his tongue at her. She laughed, "Come on, let's look for the other Professors. We can speak to Professor Snape when _‒_" She cut herself off when said man swooped around the corner, robe billowing around him, with a dark look on his face. Neville squeaked and hid behind Harry _‒_ which didn't do much.

Professor Snape paused once he saw the five first years. He blinked, slowly. "What are you five doing here?" He asked them, and then observed their ashen faces. His own face grew quite stern. "What happened?" He questioned sharply.

"Uh…" Harry was at a loss for words.

"You should've _seen_ it!" Ron was now a bundle of excitement. "This older student came and tried to curse us _‒_"

"_What?_" The Professor said, curtly.

Ron nodded, carrying on. "_‒_ uh huh, and then Harry _‒_ he was like this all-powerful _God_ _‒_ said this spell _‒_"

"_Protego Maxima_," Hermione helpfully piped in.

Ron nodded again. "_‒_ And the curse bounded back on him! I think he went to the Hospital Wing," He added as an afterthought.

"What was the curse?" Snape asked.

"It was a boil curse," Draco said.

"Come with me." Professor Snape told them, whirling around, robes billowing, and walked with the grace of a determined _‒_ and very livid _‒_ wizard who was going to demand retribution. The Apprentices followed their mentor, scuttling as they tried to keep his pace.

They walked further into the labyrinth called the Dungeons. After an exhausting amount of walking through hallways that stretched and went on forever with twists and turns, and they stopped when they reached a portrait of a regal looking wizard with an upturned nose, and dark eyes. The man looked like Professor Snape.

"Password?" The portrait drawled nosily.

"Retribution." Professor Snape said, with flaming eyes.

The portrait swung open, and their Mentor ushered them all inside. The room looked cozy and comfortable, not like the cold, damp, unsettling feeling that the Dungeons wrought to anyone who ventured into it. Professor Snape only had one armchair, and a long couch that was much similar to theirs. He had a dark fireplace, in contrast to their white one, that already had a fire.

"Sit." The Mentor ordered.

They scrambled to comply, and they all sat on the couch.

Professor Snape whirled past his living room and into a darkened hallway that lit as he past. He disappeared for a moment and returned holding five bottles. He handed the apprentices each of the bottles and said, "Drink."

They obeyed, though Harry was a little reluctant since he didn't like not knowing what he was digesting but since the Professor hadn't done anything to earn his distrust, he downed it with a grimace at the horrible taste. He blinked as he felt his previous emotions fizzle down to a calming point, and he felt oddly serene. Harry looked over at the other Apprentices, and saw that they had peaceful expressions on their face.

"What was that?" Hermione asked.

"Calming Draught," The Professor told them. "I assumed you'd need one. Now, why were you venturing into the Dungeons in the first place?"

"We came to look for you." Draco said. "We wanted to tell you that we changed our password."

"Well, what is it?" Professor Snape asked them, in a dry tone.

"Pandas!" Harry grinned.

Professor Snape blinked. "Pandas…?"

Harry nodded his head. "Pandas, it's our new password!"

Professor Snape sighed but nodded his head and said, "I shall inform the other Mentors of the password change."

"Alright, but, Professor?" Ron hesitantly asked. He waited until the Potions Master gave him a nod to continue. "Where are we?"

"You are in my personal quarters." He explained, and then looked down at them. "I trust that you will not give away my password to others?"

"We won't tell." Harry said.

"Good." The Professor said. "I must attend to my potions, so off with you lot."

"Bye, Professor!" They chorused before scrambling out the room. Once the portrait swung closed behind Neville, who was the last one to leave, they made their way out of the Dungeons with no problem, thanks to Hermione's eidetic memory.

They made their way outside but Ron stopped with a panicked look on his face. The others followed his line of sight and saw two identical twins who had Ron's hair color, freckles, etc.

"Are they your brothers?" Hermione asked.

Ron nodded. "Fred and George…they're coming this way, hide me!"

Without an explanation, the four made a makeshift shield/huddle around Ron, who crouched down onto the floor. Fred & George passed them by and stopped in front of Harry.

"Well.."

"If it isn't…"

"The ickle firstie apprentices…"

"Have you seen…"

"Our dear little brother…"

"Ickle Ronnikins?"

They gave the First Years whiplash with their back-and-forth talk. Harry blinked. "Uh…"

"Not very eloquent, are you?" The one on the left raised an eyebrow.

"No matter," The twin on the right said.

"We are the mighty…"

"Pranksters extraordinaire…"

"Next-Gen Marauders…"

"Gred & Forge!" They ended with mischievous grins. They laughed. "Just kidding…"

"I'm Fred," The one on the left said.

"And I'm George." The one on the right said.

Harry looked at them, and blinked, "Why did you introduce yourselves as the other?"

The twins gaped at him. "…what…?" The one who introduced himself as Fred (who was really George) said.

"What?" Harry said. "Why does everyone keep looking at me like that?"

"You can tell us apart?" Fred and George demanded, at the same time, leaning in close to Harry's face.

"Yeah…" Harry told them, leaning back. "Can you back up? Have you ever heard of personal space?"

The twins blinked at each other, backed away, but still were gaping incredulously at Harry, who was seriously contemplating running away at that point. Were twins hazardous to ones heath? One had to wonder…

_Honestly…_

"Uh…we'll be going now…" Neville said, grabbing Harry's forearm, and dragging him away as the other apprentices scrambled back inside.

"So much for fresh air," Draco grumbled underneath his breath as they started down the hall to their Common Room.

Ron, like his twin brothers, was gaping at Harry, mouth imitating a fish.

"Stop staring at me, Ron!" Harry whined.

Ron closed his jaw, blinking. "Sorry," He apologized. "It's just…no one in the family has ever told Fred and George apart. Not even my own mother!"

"It's so obvious." Harry said absentmindedly as they reached Bella's portrait.

"Hello Apprentices!" She said. "Password?"

"Pandas!" Harry said, grinning once again.

Once they were all inside their Common Room, Neville said, "I think we should name our House. I mean, we can't call it the Common Room or the Guest Rooms or the Apprentice Rooms any longer."

"I think it's a lovely idea!" Hermione agreed.

Ron shrugged his shoulders, Draco looked indifferent, and Harry…well…he was sitting upside down in his armchair.

"Harry!" Draco said. "What are you doing?"

"Sitting upside down," Harry responded. "Anyway, I think it's a wonderful idea! Where are we going to start?"

"Well…" Neville mumbled. "I don't really know."

"Ooh, I know!" Harry jumped up. "We can call it The Loft or…or the Dovecote!"

They all stared at him. "Dovecote?" Ron asked. "Isn't that…well…girly?"

"Hey!" Hermione objected.

"What!" Ron raised his palms. "I'm just saying…"

"I like the Loft." Neville said, sensing an incoming fight.

Draco looked thoughtful. "I like it too, do we have anymore ideas?"

Ron and Hermione both shook their heads. "Alright then!" Draco clapped his hands. "This is now, newly christened, The Loft!"

"Ooh, let's ask one of the Professors if we could put up a sign." Harry suggested. He loved arts and crafts.

"I have some paints!" Hermione said, excited. "We could make the sign ourselves!"

"Brilliant!" Harry smiled, and then looked at the others. "Are you all in for creating our sign?"

There were no protests. With a quill and piece of parchment in hand, Hermione began to jot down the ideas for the sign as the other four huddled around her.

It was the beginning of a beautiful friendship…


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Harry Potter. All rights reserved, inc. copyright goes to J.K. Rowling. No copyright infringement intended, no money is being made. (I do not own the cover picture, I got it off Google Images)

**Warnings**: language, slight violence, AU, OOC, highly non-canon (I think)

**Notes**: This isn't Beta'd so sorry for any mistakes and errors. I don't own the cover picture, or any pictures that I may use. Please review, favorite, and follow! Thanks for all the reviews, favorites, and follows last chapter! Sorry if I get any names or spells wrong. I haven't read the HP series in a while! I also noticed that I left out Astronomy in the time table but every Friday, at midnight to two in the morning, they have Astronomy class.

Chapter Three

Sunday rolled past with a flurry of reading the course books, practicing with quills, and getting to know one another better. Classes had started and so did their Apprenticeship Work, and all of the apprentices were excited and slightly nervous for what it would entail.

At around 7:30 in the morning, the other boys climbed downstairs with their bags and uniforms on, and they were all met with an overenthusiastic Hermione, who was practically jumping on her toes in excitement.

"Come on, come on!" She squealed. (Though, she'd deny it strenuously)

She grabbed Harry's and Draco's wrist, pulling them out of the Loft's entrance and down the halls, with Ron and Neville scrambling after. They were one of the first people to make it to the Great Hall for breakfast. It was only the Ravenclaw table that had students littering it, those who were fanatic about studies even in the House of the Bookworms.

Even after Hermione started to pile multiple breakfast foods over her plate, she continuously checked her shoulder bag to make sure that she had left nothing behind for the day.

"I can't wait until 1:05!" She said breathlessly.

Ron blinked at her, still half-asleep. "Did you memorize our entire schedule?" He asked her.

Hermione looked offended at the thought of doing the exact opposite. "Of course I memorized it!" She replied.

Ron blinked again, and shook his head before turning his attention towards his bacon. Neville was eating an omelet, Draco had made himself a breakfast sandwich complete with eggs, bacon, sausage, and apple slices. Harry just had a simple serving of bacon and eggs. He stared at Draco's sandwich.

"What?" Draco asked him.

"Apple slices…?" Harry said.

Draco responded, "It tastes quite fine, Harry!"

"Oh, hurry up!" Hermione told them, frizzy hair jumping all over the place as she moved her head. "I don't want to get lost to our first lesson!"

"We won't get lost," Harry told her. "We can just ask an older student where it is ‒ Hey, Ron," He looked over at the redhead who was sitting at his left. "Do you think we could ask one of your brothers about where the Transfiguration classroom is?"

Ron chomped away at his breakfast, and swallowed to say, "Ask Percy ‒ the twins'll probably send you to an empty classroom or something."

"Percy's a prefect, right?" Hermione asked him; Ron nodded before turning back to his food.

"I'm full." Neville said as he put his fork down.

Harry looked down at his own plate ‒ it was hardly empty. Though, he truly hoped no one would call him out on it, or assume he had eating problems ‒ which he _did not_; he just had a hard time digesting the normal amount of food one required to function on a daily basis. One of the downsides of being malnourished.

"Are you feeling alright, Harry?" Draco noticed his plate and his expression. Harry tried to give him a smile though it came out as a grimace.

"I'm fine." Harry said. Draco looked doubtful but turned to Hermione, who was rattling on and on about Transfiguration History to Neville, who seemed to be getting more stressed by the second.

"It's 8:15." Harry told them over the roar of the Great Hall. "I suggest we leave now so that we can get a head start." The others agreed, and it was a group effort to haul Ron away from the table (who was pleading, "Please just let me eat one more thing ‒ _one_ _more_ _thing_, please!") and out of the hall.

"Wait!" Draco stopped them. "Weren't we going to ask P―"

"Hey, you lot!" A voice from behind yelled. They all turned to see the Hufflepuff First Years stumbling towards them. "Wait for us!" Susan Bones yelled.

They waited until they were surrounded by a sea of black and yellow. The five greeted Susan, Hannah, and Sally-Anne, and introduced themselves to the male Hufflepuffs.

"I'm Ernie," One friendly looking Puff said. "Ernie Macmillan."

"Zacharias Smith," One pompous looking Puff said.

"Justin Finch-Fletchley," Another friendly Puff introduced.

The group of eleven made their way through the halls, pleasantly speaking to one another as they built the bridges of friendship.

"Do you know where the classroom is?" Harry asked Susan, who nodded.

"We asked a third year," She said. "And he told us the way."

"He was a nice fellow," Hannah butted. "His name's Cedric Diggory."

"He sounds nice," Neville said as they entered the Transfiguration classroom. Professor McGonagall wasn't in the room yet, there was only a tabby cat with strange markings around its' eyes, staring them all down as they bustled to find their seats.

The bell rang right as the last of the Gryffindors scrambled inside to the last few seats, huffing and puffing.

"Where's the teach?" said Gryffindor First-Year, Seamus Finnigan.

Ron peered at the tabby cat before leaning next to Neville and whispering, "That's not a normal cat."

The other overheard him and simultaneously whispered, "You see it, too?"

The tabby cat then lunged, as if hearing their conversation, and transformed into Professor McGonagall midair. The first years gaped at their Transfiguration teacher in awe and shock. There was a tiny amused smirk on the woman's face before it was wiped away, and a stern expression replaced it.

She gave them a strict talking-to after she took roll call. "Transfiguration is one of the most difficult and dangerous magic you will learn here at Hogwarts," She explained. "Anyone messing about will leave and not come back."

Then she changed her desk into a pig and back again. Everyone was awed and immediately wanted to get started but soon realized that they wouldn't be changing furniture into animals anytime soon. In a flurry of taking complicated notes, they were all given a match and told to try and turn it into a needle.

Even though Professor McGonagall was walking around the classroom to observe the students' progress, she seemed to be keeping an eye on the five apprentices to see how well they'd get the task.

Only a minute or two had past, really, and to everyone's surprise, it was Ron who had gotten it first. He blinked in shock, dimly aware of the praise McGonagall was giving him. Since Ron had gotten it, the others in the class had been pressed to complete it as well.

Harry was second, in tie with Hermione, then came Draco and then Neville, who's beaming smile was enough to make anyone's day.

By the end of the class, everyone except Seamus Finnigan ‒ who, for some reason, kept setting his on fire ‒ and Sally-Anne Perks ‒ who looked afraid of the needle ‒ had transfigured the matchstick either fully or somewhat. Their homework for that class was to write a 6inch essay on the main points that they'd learnt today.

The next class they shuffled off to was History of Magic with the Ravens and Snakes. Draco's face was paler than usual as they walked the winding hallways, right behind Su Li, fellow Ravenclaw firstie, to the classroom. The other apprentices gave him as much comfort and confidence as they could, though it didn't do much except make his face gain a green tint to it instead of a ghostly white.

The Apprentices sat in the back of the class with their books opened, quills and parchment out, all surrounding Draco, who was in the middle, protectively. Ron and Neville (who was slightly taller than Harry but shorter than Ron) sat on both sides of Draco while Harry sat behind and Hermione in front with "Patil, Padma". Harry didn't have anyone next to him and that was alright.

And then "Entwhistle, Kevin" sat on his left, giving him a bashful smile.

"Hi." Kevin said, shyly.

Harry turned to him and smiled. "Hello. Kevin's the name, right?"

Kevin nodded. "So, I hear this class is being taught by a ghost."

"Yeah, I heard about it too," Harry responded. "I hope it's going to be interesting ‒ I mean, it's a ghost!"

"Some of the older Ravens told us that Binns is a bore." Kevin said.

"That's too bad," Harry frowned but before he or Kevin could say anymore, the bell rang and Professor Binns floated through the wall.

Only three minutes into the classroom, and Harry's eyes were drooping tiredly. This was a Professor? He made even the most exciting battles of Wizarding History sound as boring as bat droppings. Binns droned in his monotone voice as they scribbled down notes, dates, and got Emeric the Evil and Uric the Oddball confused. Harry gave up when the ghost Professor stopped mid-lecture on the Great Battle of 1243 and turned his attention to the devious Goblin King who tried to cheat many wizards in the 1600s.

He threw his quill down with a scowl, and then he pouted as he crossed his arms over his chest. Kevin glanced at him, having given up a while ago after Uric the Oddball. Kevin was revising the notes that he had from his class in Defense.

Ron was snoring lightly, drool pooling out of his opened mouth, Neville was doodling plants on his parchment, Hermione was like a robot as she scribbled notes down on her parchment, Padma was doing the same, only stopping to ask Hermione a question, and Draco was half-heartedly writing notes as his eyes darted to the Slytherin side of the classroom and back to the back of Hermione's head.

"Hey, you alright?" hissed Harry as he leaned forward to speak in Draco's ear.

Draco hesitated before turning his head to whisper, "I'll be alright. It's just ‒ never mind, Harry. It's nothing."

Harry didn't think that it was nothing but he didn't say so aloud. _Maybe he was worried that his old friends would turn on him because he wasn't in Slytherin_, Harry concluded with a nod, _yes, that's probably it_.

"How's being an Apprentice?" asked Kevin.

Harry looked at him and shrugged his shoulders. "We haven't done anything as of yet. We're starting today at 1."

"Cool." Kevin murmured. "You're so lucky."

Harry shrugged again before looking down at his schedule, realizing that next hour was lunch.

When the bell rung, everyone sprung to their feet and flooded out of the classroom towards the Great Hall for lunch.

Ron rushed to stuff his things in his bag, the other Apprentices went at a much slower, neater pace than he, and once he managed to zip his bag closed, the first year Slytherins stepped in front of him.

He blinked. Harry looked up briefly before going back to organizing his bag by class order. Hermione had a hardened look in her eyes, remembering the incident yesterday, as she and Neville shuffled closer to Draco, whose eyes had widened significantly.

He gulped. "H-Hello,"

"Hi, Draco," the first year with the cold, aloft expression on her face and the goddess quality looks and blonde hair greeted.

_"__Greengrass, Daphne", _Harry's mind supplied.

There was another girl, this one with a pug-like face, who had two stocky, large boys glued to her side in a bodyguard manner. "Parkinson, Pansy" and "Crabbe, Vincent" and "Goyle, Gregory", Harry thought. They looked like the wrong sort, like the fifth-year they'd ran into.

The seconds were ticking by. They were missing lunch.

"What do you lot want now?" Ron exclaimed. "We're missing lunch, here!"

"Oh, you can leave." Pansy said. "We just want to speak to Draco."

"Like hell we're leaving you alone with him." Ron cursed, and glared. "Not after that fifth-year tried to curse us in the hallway."

"Oh, so it was _you_ who hexed Flint?" Pansy sneered.

There were two other girls, Harry noted. One with dainty features ("Davis, Tracey") and one with a square face and a scowl ("Bulstrode, Millicent"), and the other boys, "Zabini, Blaise," and "Nott, Theodore" weren't there.

"I didn't do anything!" Ron burst with anger. "He tried to hex us ‒ for no reason!"

"There was a reason." Pansy said, smiling nastily. "Draco Malfoy was supposed to be in Slytherin ‒ his entire family has been apart of that house ‒ and he dared to ignore us in favor of being with you," Pansy ended with a sneer that made her look even uglier.

Pansy, Crabbe, and Goyle got out their wands, and the other three girls looked at them.

"What are you doing?!" Daphne screeched.

"You can't curse them," Tracey agreed. "Have you gone mad, Parkinson?"

"Why are we here, anyways?" Millicent piped in. "I just wanted to say hi, not land us al in possible detentions."

"Leave Draco alone," Harry said forcefully.

"You stay out of it, orphan!" Pansy shot at him.

Harry stepped back, blinking. Sure, he'd been called that many times by his Aunt, his cousin too, but it still hurt. It hurt a lot because he was always reminded of what could've been, would've been if his parents survived that night.

"Leave Harry alone," Neville saw the hurt look and grew protective over the tiniest Apprentice. "He did nothing to you!"

"What the devil is going on in here?" A voice interrupted the showdown. "Parkinson, Crabbe, Goyle ‒ five points from Slytherin _each_ for turning your wand on a fellow student."

The First-Years whipped around to stare, wide-eyed, at Professor McGonagall, who, in turn, stared hard at them all. "Get to lunch, all of you," She told them. "_Now_,"

They wasted no time scrambling out of the classroom after the reprimand.

"This isn't over, Malfoy." Parkinson hissed at them before making her way towards the Slytherin table.

The Apprentices made their way to their own table, and started to hungrily eat their food.

Hermione was a bundle of excitement while the others were bundles of nerves. "I can't wait!" Hermione squealed. "I wonder what we're going to be learning. We only have one more class to go!"

"Well, since it's Professor Sprout," Neville said, "We might be learning more about Herbology or the Healing Arts."

Both Draco and Harry were silent throughout lunch, and on the way to the Defense classroom, only because Draco was still shaken up over the encounter as any other eleven-year-old would be, and Harry was still hurting from the "orphan" remark. Call him a softie, but words did hurt like knives.

Neville walked beside him as Hermione was rambling in both Draco's and Ron's ears again, and asked, "You okay, Harry."

"I'm alright." Harry mumbled.

It was clear Harry didn't want to speak and so Neville and the others left him alone. Since it was only the Gryffindors in this class, there were few students. Seamus and "Thomas, Dean" sat next to one another. "Patil, Parvati" and "Brown, Lavender" were huddled close as they whispered and gossiped, though what gossip there was on only the second day, Harry didn't know.

Professor Quirrell might've been a good Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher but he stuttered over the simplest of words, jumped often, and overall turned the lesson into a joke. They could barely understand what said when he started his lecture over the difference between a hex, jinx, and a curse. The classroom smelled strongly of garlic, and it was giving Harry a pounding migraine.

When class was dismissed, just like in History of Magic, everyone made haste to leave.

"I can't believe someone like him is allowed to teach." Draco complained. He had bounced back to his normal uppity self during the first few minutes of the lesson after Seamus Finnigan had asked the Professor how he'd gotten rid of that "troublesome zombie" and Quirrell had turned pink and started to talk about the weather.

"He's a joke," Ron added. He too was disappointed in the Professor, and he was looking forward to learning all sorts of spells to defend himself, especially against those nasty Slytherins who were all for the "Let's-Kill-Draco-Cause-He-Wasn't-In-Slytherin" campaign.

"Pandas," Neville muttered the password to the Loft softly, and they all huddled inside. Harry was still quiet, and Hermione was looking through her Defense notes with a frustrated look on her face.

"Good morning, my little kits!" Professor Sprout beamed at them as they entered their Common Room.

They all chorused their greetings to the cheerful Professor, and looked around the room in awe. The Common Room had been transformed completely. The chairs, sofa, and tables had been pushed back against the walls, and there were five lilac colored bean bags surrounding Professor Sprout, who had on a Gardeners' hat and gloves.

She told them to put their books and bags on one of the tables, which they did, and to take a seat. Harry sat between Neville and Hermione, who sat on Ron's left. Draco sat on Ron's right. They all looked up at the Professor, quills and parchment in hand and waited.

"Alright, since this is the first time I've ever done this," She said, "I'm going to take it slow and see how everything turns out. I've decided to let you lot learn about Healing first."

The Professor waved her arm and a chalkboard appeared out of thin air. She looked at their questioning gazes, and chuckled, "Conjuration, my dears."

"Anyway," She continued as the chalk wrote THE HEALING ARTS in neat, readable cursive. "There are many spells that can be used to heal small wounds, like _episkey _or _ferula_, which creates bandages ‒" the spells and their definition was written on the chalkboard as the Apprentices dutifully took notes. "‒ now, healing spells cannot be used in malice. You can only properly work a healing spell or charm with the intention of healing someone or thing. Write that down, it's important."

She waited for them to scribble down the information, and continued, "There's also many potions that are mostly for healing, like the Blood-Replenishing Potion, or, even, the Dreamless Sleep or the Calming Draught ‒ however, you must be careful with the last two I mentioned for if you use it too frequently, you can become addicted…"

The next two hours were spent taking notes and listening to Professor Sprout as she lectured. She demonstrated each healing spell she told them, on a dummy she had borrowed from Professor Quirrell. When it was 2:30 P.M., she gave them their own dummy with cuts in various places and instructed them to use the spells she gave them.

"Remember," She'd said, "You have to _want_ to heal the person in order for it to work."

Harry looked over his dummy. It had cuts over his arms, a large scrape on his right leg, and a gash on his torso that didn't look life-threatening, to his unschooled eye.

"_Episkey ‒ episkey ‒ episkey ‒ episkey,_" Harry chanted to the tiny cuts and scrapes, which healed instantly. Once they were all gone, he focused on the larger cuts and gashes. "_Episkey_," he said, trying to see if the cut would reduce. When it didn't, Harry said, "_Ferula," _and a wad of bandages appeared at his feet.

He blinked, then shrugged, and picked up some of the gauze before shuffling towards the dummy.

"Wonderful, all of you!"

Professor Sprout's voice caused Harry to jump. Everyone was holding bandages and were about to apply it carefully to the pretend injured person. "You don't need to apply them." Professor Sprout said. "We'll do that next time we meet. However, absolutely wonderful progress, all of you,"

She looked over at the Grandfather clock and said, "Well, I suppose you should get your things ready for Double Charms since Flying Class isn't until the third week of the month."

She then announced their homework; a one foot essay on the many ways you could use regular, everyday spells to heal someone, including potions, curses, etc. it was due the next time they met, which was on Wednesday.

"What Houses are we with?" Harry asked Hermione as they all shuffled to get their things and help Professor Sprout in returning their Common Room to normal.

"Oh, you don't need to help," She told them, before saying a few spells that they didn't know. The spells moved the furniture back into their original place, and the Professor banished the dummy's and the chalkboard. She put back on her gardeners hat.

"I'm off to my sixth-year class!" She said as she bounced out of the Loft. "See you lot at dinner!"

"We're with the Ravenclaws," Hermione said.

As the bell rang, signifying the end of class, the five first-years made their way to the Charms' classroom. Professor Flitwick was a tiny little wizard who had to stand on a pile of books just to see over his desk ‒ which was an advantage and a disadvantage ‒ and at the start of class, he took roll. Flitwick's height didn't make Harry feel so miserable over his lack thereof.

Throughout Double Charms, they took notes over the dangers of not using charms properly could cause. Professor Flitwick was unusually stern when he told them that messing about in his classroom would lead to detentions year-round, not to mention loss of points each time it happened.

Harry sat next to Kevin again, who introduced him to "Boot, Terry.". Neville sat on Terry's left, Harry's right. Ron and Draco were on both sides' of Hermione, who wasn't tolerating their note passing when they got bored of the lesson.

When class was dismissed for the day, and the Apprentices were safely ensconced in the Loft, Hermione took out her notes and textbooks and announced, "I suggest we get our homework done now so that we don't have to worry about it later."

The only ones who groaned in protest were Draco and Ron. Harry didn't care and Neville was used to this from his Gran and his tutors.

They started on the easy subjects first, Transfiguration. They didn't have any homework for Defense, except to read the next two chapters, and Charms was only a 6inch essay on a short summary of what had been lectured. The only big homework they had was their Apprenticeship work from Sprout.

It was a hassle to get Hermione to see that going overboard on her homework (i.e. extra inches or irrelevant information) was not a good idea, and when Harry said, "They might take off points or give you a low grade because of it," she saw through her stubbornness and admitted defeat with a pout on her face.

"Blimey!" Ron yelped. "We'll be late for dinner!"

It was currently 5:55 P.M.

"Calm down, Ron." Draco drawled. He'd stopped calling the others by their last name when he saw how they defended him, even though he did act like a spoilt brat most of the time.

They made their way into the Great Hall around five minutes after the feast started. They settled themselves at their table and started to pile food on their plates. After they had all gotten what they'd wanted, some of their classmates had started to make their way towards them, causing the silence in the hall.

Padma, Kevin, and Su Li (who was friends with Neville) settled themselves at the Apprentice table, all of the Hufflepuff First Years, except for Zacharias who was in the hospital wing for a sprained ankle, came to their table, chattering about the classes they had.

For Gryffindor, it was Fred & George, and their friend Lee Jordan, who was the Quidditch Announcer, and they sat themselves across from Ron, and next to Harry. The only one from Slytherin who dared to come sit next to Draco was "Nott, Theodore", who then gave Draco a talking-to over ignoring him the previous days just cause he wasn't with the Snakes.

_It's good to know that Draco still has at least one of his friends,_ Hermione thought to herself as she was immersed into a conversation on the benefits of Defense Against the Dark Arts with Padma and the other Hufflepuff girls.

"So, how's Ravenclaw treating you?" Harry asked Kevin as he started to cut into his chicken.

Kevin chewed on his potato for a moment before swallowing, and responded, "It's…uh…great…" Kevin tried to pull off a smile but it came out as a grimace. Harry took note of it and stored it in the back of his mind for later use.

"So, Ron, how was the first day of classes?" Fred ‒ or was it George? ‒ asked him once he'd eaten only a quarter of his food.

Ron responded, "It was alright. Defense is a joke, though."

Fred & George nodded. "We have Defense tomorrow, and we figured it'd be a joke."

Dinner passed and five sated, warm, and tired Apprentices stumbled their way into the Loft. They all collapsed in the Common Room. Harry sprawled on his armchair, Hermione curled on hers with the Herbology textbook, and Ron, Draco, and Neville made themselves comfortable on the couch.

The warm fire made them fall asleep in their respective places, even though curfew wasn't for another two or so hours, and that was how Professor Sprout and McGonagall found them when they went through Bella's portrait to check up on them.

McGonagall roused Harry and Hermione while Sprout shook the other three boys awake. "Up you get," McGonagall told them. The five first years moaned and protested over being awoken.

"Up to your rooms, kits," smiled Sprout as she ushered them to their dorms.

As Ron was the last to stumble to bed, McGonagall looked over at her colleague and said, "This is going to be an interesting seven years at Hogwarts."

Sprout nodded her head. "I suppose even if they weren't Apprentices, these next seven years would still be something."

"I couldn't agree more with you Pomona," McGonagall said before exiting the Loft with Sprout at her heels.


End file.
